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Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Would have been a better short film
Knock at the Cabin is a very average thriller with surface level substance to offer, and slow borderline boring pacing.
The acting was pretty good, Dave Bautista kept it captivating, the family were all okay, and I wish Rupert Grint could've been in it more as he was giving probably the most career defying performance in the movie. The premise was very intriguing but the interest kinda just fizzled out by the time it was almost over.
Not a whole lot of stuff going on in the movie, making many plot points feel stretched out or delayed. If all the flashbacks were cut out and we were just provided with how the characters interacted I think it could've created a more effective experience. I thought I felt there was some attempt made at addressing how people interpret comments made at them and who's exactly in the wrong, but it came off as empty so I guess I could be wrong.
Overall, a very uninteresting movie with an interesting primary idea that isn't explored to its fullest potential and a talented cast that come off as flat.
Humane (2024)
Decent premise, awful execution
Humane is quite simply a bad mediocre movie. So mediocre that it can't offer anything aside from a wasted premise for a murderous political drama.
To get the very few positives out of the way, the movie looks competently made, the bleak near-future setting was eerie, and the character of Bob gave some well-timed dark humour to the film.
However, the movie drains its semi talented cast, with some performing much better than others. The characters are all awful, aside from the employees of the organisation we should hate since they're pretty much just doing their job's. Each sibling is terrible in their own way, an egotistical maniac, a political monster, an indecisive sheep, and the seemingly calm one, who acts so out of character towards the rest of them later that it made him no better than them. The premise of 'who would you choose in your family to die?' was a good one, but is made so uninteresting by making every member so selfish and/or obnoxious. The movie also takes a while before it feels like it's properly getting started which make the first fifteen minutes feel like it could've been summed up in two.
Overall, saved by a few of the more minor aspects to be considered terrible but not good enough to warrant a rewatch any time soon, or maybe ever.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
A mostly justified prequel
Furiosa is an amazing origin story with fantastic action, amazing performances and immersive visuals.
The world of Fury Road was explored so briefly, with the characters rushing past all these interesting settings only made minor reference to, and this film incredibly explores further into the locations of the Bullet Farm, Gastown and the Citadel. Chris Hemsworth and Alyla Browne were absolute stand-outs, especially Hemsworth's unhinged villain Dementus. Anya Taylor-Joy was really good but I feel like her performance got very much overshadowed by Hemsworth. The action was no where near as frequent as in fury Road, but it held up with new and innovative apocalyptic techniques to attack in pursuits, which was very impressive considering there were a lot more CGI effects this time around.
Moreover, the CGI didn't distract from the movie entirely but it was very much noticeable and more obvious than it was in Fury Road. Tom Burke kinda comes off as a dollar store Max but it didn't seem too blatant. And the relationship between Furiosa and Immortan Joe didn't feel as fleshed out as Fury Road made it out to be, especially given how this movie ends.
Overall, aside from being a slightly more than mediocre prequel, Furiosa is a visual and technical wonder, and comes very close to being a masterpiece mostly due to the incredible performances from the two leads.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Pedal to the metal, non-stop, high-octane joyride
Fury Road is a near perfect movie. It may be the best Mad Max film from a story perspective, and almost definitely the best from a technical perspective.
As far as the pre-production work goes, the smooth camera focus from shot to shot, the frantic way scenes are filmed, the risky and flawless stunt choreography, the vehicle designs, costumes, and settings are all executed and established brilliantly. For the post-production work, the filters for day and night are awe-inspiring, with the night being so uniquely illuminated and the day looking so otherworldly yet familiar with the colours standing out and blending simultaneously as well as how the explosions appearing as if they're bleeding into the screen. The CGI effects are used sparingly and effectively, looking as convincing as they need to be. The score supports the thrills and emotions present throughout in the terrifyingly insane world the characters inhabit. Speaking of, the performances are all top notch, no particular favourites as everyone seemed to be doing their part wonderfully, from the main players like Max and Furiosa to the side characters like Slit and Rictus, everyone. The story is essentially one big escape and pursuit, executed in an effectively efficient manner.
Honestly aside from one or two easily overlooked plotholes there's nothing I can really say to discredit this movie. The only thing I could say is that Max doesn't really feel like the main character until closer to the end of the movie but that's kinda just it.
Overall, I'm probably not thinking of everything I enjoyed about this film, but that's just because there is so much to love. Fury Road is perhaps the best action movie of the decade.
Captain Fantastic (2016)
Great family drama with some zigs instead of zags
Captain fantastic is a funny yet mostly dramatic movie that comments on the balance of experiences offered by life and necessities in American culture such as education and survival skills.
Viggo Mortensen shines as the father, able to capture the independent preferring to live in near total seclusion with his family. Each of the kid actors were pretty impressive too, able to deliver their socially awkward personalities and inherited opinions of American life from their father with much ease, especially George MacKay. The situational humour is where much of the comedy comes from, fuelled by the contrast of the outsider family with everyone they come across. This creates many uncomfortable, awkward, and/or bizarre conversations. Much of the people who rightfully question the family's ways of living come off as very obnoxious, I'm unaware as to whether or not that was intentional but it frames the family in a more interesting way, especially when the audience is forced into the perspective of the in-laws of the father. The story seems to see-saw between siding with the family and siding against them, which creates and interesting plot that questions the audience on how right or wrong the father is.
That being said, I feel like the father isn't given enough of a resolution, with his arc feeling like it skipped or just missed one of the integral final steps that would've made the ending better. The cast of kids can also be a bit difficult to keep track of, in terms of who's who.
Overall, Captain Fantastic is an interesting commentary family drama with very funny moments that may make you question where you stand on other people's way of life as well as your own.
Arrival (2016)
Fascinatingly mournful experience
Arrival is a mesmerising and deeply emotional film with excellent performances, effects, and story.
Amy Adams glimmers a fading light as the lead, with Jeremy Renner surprisingly playing a scientist very well in his co-starring role. The designs of the crafts and creatures are believably unique, and only enhanced by fantastic effects. The twisty story outlining humanity's mistrust in itself feels so compelling and it barely ever feels like it's becoming so bleak it comes off as depressingly boring.
However, the ending felt like it was being tied up too perfectly due to some convenient logic leaps, but fortunately it's able to justify enough that it doesn't look like lazy writing.
Overall, a worthwhile and deceivingly bleak movie filled with rich emotionality at seemingly every twist and turn.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
An overly dumb attempt of an 80s throwback
With monsters that exist only to fight each other and characters that exist only to explain why the fights are happening, 'Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire' feels like an elaborately expensive WWE event.
The soundtrack feels like it came right out of a40 year old's playlist, with barely any of the songs having any meaning to what we're seeing other than to turn up the fun factor that little bit more. The story can best be summarised as 'big ape and big lizard vs evil big ape and misunderstood big lizard', with every scene and sequence featuring humans that lead up to the fights consistently crank up the ludicrous levels of over-explanation as to how any of it makes sense. The monsters, after all this time, are put front and centre with Kong leading the charge. The effects look on par with the previous Monsterverse entries, but the fights are far and beyond superior with understanding of gravity and physics traded in for hilariously, stupidly entertaining punching matches.
On the other hand, a lot of the actors kinda look like they're clueless about what they're doing, but are decent at selling the absurdity. Although I liked Dan Stevens the most, but I didn't really find any of the characters that interesting. The jokes are the same inoffensive streamlined humour that plagues modern movies and therefore the only laughs you'll get are from the monster fights or stupid science jargon that doesn't make sense. The 'New Empire' itself too is more like an ancient empire, so I gotta ask, what's wrong with the title 'Godzilla X Kong: The Old Empire'? And for a movie that headlines Kong and Godzilla, there really isn't that much Godzilla and that monster kinda feels more like a side character than a co-lead.
This is a movie that isn't really supposed to make sense and is by almost every sense of the term, a 'popcorn flick', an easily digestible blockbuster movie. It works purely as switch-your-brain-off entertainment and nothing else.
The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)
Colourful, emotional, and funny family road trip
This film was a hilarious family comedy about acceptance of yourself and more importantly, those around you, filled with quirkiness on a weirdly relatable level.
This movie surprised me, as a family film it's definitely one of the best in recent years, providing a unique direction in its style of animation, a satirical approach towards the cause of a modern apocalypse, and a compelling father-daughter relationship dead-centre. All of this is fuelled with a great cast and supporting characters. PAL felt very heavily influenced by Amazon, whether I'm right or not I don't really care because regardless it was a very funny approach towards how we observe and use technology without fully understanding our appreciating it's capabilities. The Mitchells themselves were each differing variations of awkward, quirky, and very chaotic.
However, a handful of jokes are framed in a social media approach like Snapchat filters and sequences looking like Instagram-edited images. Nine times out of ten it's just as effectively funny as the rest of the jokes, however it occasionally feels like a failed attempt at appealing as a modern comedy, but that could just be me.
Overall, it's a totally killer time that stands as a relatably quirky family movie, with some science fiction satire thrown in as a nifty bonus.
Father of the Bride Part II (1995)
Same plot beats, difference in the details
Father of the Bride: Part II is a very funny movie, yet not as good as the original. It continues off the first film as it follows the same skeletal story structure with 'pregnancy' instead of 'wedding' set as the scenario.
Steve Martin is still able to make you laugh and relate to each situation he's put through. Martin Short has an upgraded secondary role with more screentime and he keeps the movie funny when it feels like it's running out of jokes. The new story on the wife and daughter being pregnant is a pretty entertaining concept, keeping the movie feeling fresh enough.
However, the repetitions come to a point where you really notice, from the last game of basketball with the daughter to the father eventually coming around to his situation and putting his nerves behind him. Moreover, some scenes feel unnecessary and only added for an extra joke and while some land, others do not. Most of the plot points are reached due to some major coincidences, which are okay but it feels a bit reliant by the end. And i get it was kinda the point, but the wife and daughter came off as somewhat annoying in the first half of the film, and actually feel funnier in the second half.
Overall, the film is far from bad, but not original enough to be considered anything more than just 'pretty good' in my opinion.
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Delightful, cheesey, fan-fiction
Oz the Great and Powerful is, although admittedly very imperfect, a grand, colourful and often immersive adventure.
As usual, Sam Raimi's energy shines in the action and horror, with the Dutch tilts and sudden zoom ins bringing a sense of camp and unease into the tension. The flying monkeys brought back the trauma from the original in such an overkill fashion where their terror is mostly concealed and portrayed in silhouette until around the halfway mark. James Franco as Oz was a surprisingly good fit, with him able to pull off portraying a sympathetic con-man. Although portrayed mostly through CGI, the land of Oz looks dazzling most of the time, and then there are a few times where it looks distractingly too glamorous and over-polished. Make-up and costumes are mostly on point, harkening back to the aesthetic of the original with more modern capabilities, although the same could be said with a lot of other aspects of the film.
Although the CGI is used to great effect in many ways throughout the movie, it eventually ends up feeling a bit overused, especially in the final battle between two of the witches. The story revolving around how certain characters from the original film behaved before the events of that film ranged from feeling plausible to almost downright silly. Oz as the con man was a good connection to the deceptive yet humble wizard in the original, yet the portrayal of the wicked Witch of the West as a heartbroken, temper-tamtrum-a-minute villain with an obsessive relationship to the wizard just doesn't feel like it matches up with the purely maniacal and unhinged character from the original. Each of the romantic aspects of the movie come off as weird fan-fiction where I feel like it just doesn't work. Sometimes a few of the actors looked like their heart wasn't really in it either.
Overall, though not particularly an amazing prequel, it's a technically impressive one with a good cast, decent story and great direction.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
Ground-breakingly solemn
This movie obliterated my expectations. Based on its reputation I was skeptical, but Godzilla Minus One changed my mindset as soon as the story begun. The characters, the themes, the music, and the destruction each shined through as ingredients that baked something truly special.
The overarching theme of coping with survivor's guilt was heavy, and the death and destruction in each of the tense scenes only made the movie darker. It is a true monster movie, full of tension and dread of a looming danger throughout the course of the film. The characters were compellingly sympathetic, each dealing with their own post World War II traumas and its great stuff, with the lead's search for redemption was especially gripping. Godzilla itself was depicted as the terrifying beast it's always been, and paired with a score that'll throw you back to the danger it posed in the 50s. Moreover, it's atomic breath has never been so frightening on such a nuclear level.
I'd say my only real criticism comes from the English subtitles, not always feeling accurate to the 1940s time period the movie is depicting but it's not an English-speaking movie so I can't really hate a movie for that, especially this one. And sure, the CGI can look a bit iffy at times but the quality of the story more than makes up for any and all visual hiccups.
A very human movie set in the aftermath of an inhumane time, Godzilla Minus One is a destructively incredible film.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
A great but flawed reintroduction to a new era
'Kingdom' is a compelling movie, with a good self-contained story and foundations of a larger narrative to possibly build on in the future. However, it's got issues, some more glaring than others.
Setting it in a time between the 'Caesar trilogy' and the '68 original was a kinda fresh and interesting direction, I found it somewhat similar to 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' in that way. To see how the new generations have interpreted what Caesar stood for was a great idea, with some taking it too far. Speaking of, Proximus Caesar was a fantastic antagonist as an ape looking to go to extreme lengths to get what he wants, yet within reason. Noa was a pretty good protagonist, and had a very well done hero's journey that felt refreshingly familiar. The apocalyptic landscapes and visual effects of the apes were incredible, looking deceptively real and immersive. The action sequences felt relentlessly well shot and choreographed, feeling equal parts tense and exciting.
That all being said, the film isn't without some negatives. The character of Mae felt contradictory to the world, and I was wondering how the virus hadn't affected her ability to speak or think normally after being exposed to it for so long. The establishing 40 or so minutes felt like it could've been shorter and it takes way too long for the real story to get started. Proximus also feels like he was introduced too late into the movie.
But besides issues with pacing and some characters, it's overall a great film that holds up the reputation of the franchise.
Father of the Bride (1991)
Funny insight into an often overlooked perspective
A father struggling to let go of his daughter due to his fear of her groom to be, the cost and most of all, acceptance of her being grown up.
Steve Martin found the difficult balance of providing laughs and tears at all the right moments. Most of the jokes centre around probably the most common frustration of any wedding, the cost, and Martin's increasing fearful stress is both hilarious and relatable to watch unfold. Martin Short is a scene stealer as the wedding manager aiming to make it as extravagant, and the therefore as costly, as possible. The story focusing on the father's real concerns isn't a perspective seen often and is done very well here.
Besides the fact that I don't gush over films like this and therefore don't rank it highly with other movies I've seen, the only real nit-pick I have is the narration sometimes (but definitely not always) feels like it's interrupting the story rather than telling it.
Really good Steve Martin comedy that provides lots of laughs paired with genuinely heartfelt moments.
Why Him? (2016)
Foolish Franco farce
'Why Him?' Sees a dad who's cold and cautious towards his daughter's new boyfriend. The boyfriend is trying to demonstrate his value. What I can only assume was supposed to be 'hilarity' ensues.
James Franco by far is the saving grace of this movie, keeping it viewable and adjacent to entertaining. Bryan Cranston and several other recognisably funny actors are also in the movie, yet either have bad material or sub-par execution. The story, boiled down to basics, is very familiar and I can acknowledge that this could make it a comforting comedy to some.
However, the movie's just not very funny in my opinion. With so much talent it's surprising how little I audibly laughed. Comedy's typically aim to at the very least crack a smile, yet this one struggled to even do that with occasional success brought almost entirely from Franco's free-spirited performance.
Overall, an unfunny 'meet the boyfriend' comedy with a familiar story, predictable jokes and hugely wasted cast.
Dream Scenario (2023)
Compelling analysis of phenomena and fame
Nicholas Cage plays an insecure, self-important, well-meaning family man and it's a blast to watch him playing such a meek character in Paul compared to his past bombastic and/or unhinged roles.
The weird circumstance of him appearing in dreams is handled really well, with each individual dream, prior to Paul appearing, being able to be interpreted as a reflection of each individual having them, and as Paul's sudden fame affects him to an uncomfortable point, his presence in the dreams seem to coincide with his actions. It's a scary reflection of how suddenly fame can affect a person's life, as well as everyone's perception of them in and around their life.
My main criticism comes from the very sudden ending. It came off as feeling packed with rushed sequences, underthought ideas and frankly not on par with the slow burn pacing and thought-provoking tone of the rest of the film, but the final scene saves it from imploding on itself.
Dream Scenario is a wonderfully weird and often scary outlook of fear and fame being related in too many ways. And yet, it is still able to make you laugh at how desperate a person seemingly content with being an outsider will go to remain relevant and be perceived as interesting in the eyes of the world for their more 'uninteresting' qualities as deemed by society.
Vampires (1998)
One of the best of Carpenter's later films
Vampires is a great supernatural action thriller with the tonality of a western. It was a bloodfest with good action, great practical effects, and entertaining performances.
Jack Crow and Valek were such fun to see as the protagonist and antagonist, respectively. The chemistry between all the characters was just as electric as the shoot-outs, with the obvious highlight being Jack Crow as the disillusioned, laser-focussed, and seasoned vampire hunter. The ending was great, with a truly impactful final confrontation that demonstrated Jack's determination to his role as well as the humanity still left in him. The score really leaned into the western aspect, provoking feelings of the extermination of vampires being a hopeless crusade. Speaking of, the vampires themselves, the lore for how they began in this world and the great make-up effects really amplified their presence as a real threat; a disease that needed to be eradicated.
I'd say that the master vampires, although weaker than the grand master vampire Valek, didn't seem as imposing as the story was building them up to be. And aside from few nit-picks, it's a really good film from Carpenter.
This is the kind of vampires I prefer, the devilishly sadistic kind who thrive in being semi-seductive monsters, and the hunters' battle against them was nothing short of thrilling fun.
Village of the Damned (1995)
Village of the Bland, for fans of Carpenter
John Carpenter's 'Village of the Damned' is a very slow movie, even for Carpenter, that has little substance with lots of intrigue.
The premise was very strong, with the mystery surrounding what exactly the titular children are, serving as the driving force of the film. The score, although not memorable, set a consistently eerie tone throughout and supported the haunting atmosphere. Christopher Reeve was a strong lead, with some great dialogue and the child actors were pretty good in their own right as well. Speaking of, the special effects on the children's eyes were fantastic, able to add to their creep-factor rather than detract.
However, decisions made by most of the adults seem either irrational or downright stupid, with very clear signs of something not being right with the children, including several of the earlier deaths. Their ability to seemingly be oblivious to all signs saying the kids aren't right hindered on the point of frustration, but then their realisation felt like it came way to quickly. The final revelation of the film too felt like a poor X-Files twist, and it still didn't end up explaining that much. I personally think it would've been better off explaining more or nothing at all.
Overall, I found the movie to be a worthwhile experience with not much to offer, but worth watching nonetheless.
Boy Kills World (2023)
Deliriously deranged hyper-violent madness
Boy Kills World is a much more sombre film than I was anticipating, and much less of a comedy than the absurd bloodbath it actually is. A film that feels like the adaptation of a video game that doesn't exist, with characters able to sustain excruciating pain for extended amounts of time when in real life the first few hits would definitely do the trick.
The characters are great, with a well choreographed performance from Bill Skarsgård, able to match the dialogue delivered from H Jon Benjamin. June27 is an equally entertaining maniac, and each of the Van Der Koy's make for compelling villains in their own right. The costumes for the entire cast from Boy, to the cereal mascots effectively contrast and compliment each other well, like a fighter game roster, linking back to my previous statement. The gore and action scenes went hand in hand as very kinetic and equally bloody with entertainingly gruesome outcomes. Most of the humour comes from either the shock value of the action or from Boy's inner voice interpreting his surroundings/situations, and it lands way more often than it falls, but sometimes the jokes that aren't fuelled by gore end up feeling like the current trend of easy generic, humour.
The score is good, although at times there were a few moments that I think might have been better off without it or have it quieter to deliver some emotional moments more effectively. The action scenes, although very well choreographed and mostly filmed with impressive wide-shots and long takes, feature occasional uses of 'shakey-cam' that make it hard to tell what's going on and detract from the overall quality of the sequences.
Regardless, this film packs an awesome punch filled to the brim with emotionality, insane action, crazy jokes, and an awesome revenge plot with a 'video-game-like' structure to tie it all together.
Starman (1984)
Beautiful
John Carpenter's sci-fi romance is a funny and emotional exploration of love and loss. Starman offers great performances and a story that, although not ground-breaking, leaves you feeling swelled with emotion.
Jeff Bridges as the titular character is wonderfully weird, providing much of the situational humour as well as being able to anchor complex emotions with simplicity. Karen Allen portrays a grieving widower with amazing sincerity and convinced you of her journey in finding closure with her grief. The tonal shifts between drama and comedy are done really well, feeling like a seemless transition between each scene.
If I had any negatives, I'd say the movie ends a bit suddenly, and the government following Starman throughout the film didn't feel like as big of a threat as they should've. But these are really only minor nit-picks in an otherwise rewarding experience.
Overall, Starman is a beautiful road-trip, drama, and romance that I found heart-warmingly mystifying.
The Avengers (2012)
Culmination
After the first few films introduced the main players with varying success, this movie sees the uniting of those characters, their arcs, and their world views come crashing at first, and then merging into a team of mighty heroes.
The performances, the music, the story, the effects, costumes, everything seems to be top-notch in this movie. Getting to see these wildly different people interact was amazing to watch, with each of the directions from each previous movie being able to blend so well with one another. The cast were all great, from Robert Downey Jr's endless abundance of wit and sarcasm to the return of Tom Hiddleston's Shakespearean and deceitful Loki as the villain. The score is nothing short of extraordinary, able to feel like the embodiment of culmination and wowing everyone who finds themselves enamoured.
Not many negatives besides a few pokes at the plot. I still chuckle at the fact they felt Hawkeye and Black Widow, were worthy members to be apart of the 'group of remarkable people' but I guess they're just really really good at shooting things.
The Avengers is perhaps the greatest accomplishment the superhero genre has ever made, providing rewatchable entertainment from start to finish with compelling characters and a really fun time overall.
The Wolverine (2013)
Great reaction to the aftermath
Set after "X-Men: The Last Stand", the movie follows Logan struggling to cope with the aftermath of that movie's final events. It features great action, a new setting to be explored in this world and a compelling story keeping it all together.
Performances all around were really good, with no surprise from Hugh Jackman and a pleasing experience with the new characters in the broadening of the 'X-Men' universe, with a personal highlight being Yukio. The Japan setting was a cool new direction able to make the story feel more fresh. Furthermore, the action was great, with some amazing close-combat fight choreography.
On the other hand, the character Viper tonally felt like she belonged in an earlier X-Men movie, coming off as a bit too comic accurate in an otherwise relatively grounded film, with the same going for the main villain introduced near the end of the film. The romance felt a bit suddenly forced and although it was kind of built up, it didn't feel entirely necessary. The scene at the end of the credits felt like it was taking a hit for the team with revealing something seemingly impossible just so 'Days Of Future Past' wouldn't have to explain it, making that movie a little bit more understandable.
Overall, this film was a compelling superhero movie with great action and performances. For fans of the X-Men franchise and more specifically the character of Logan, The Wolverine is entertaining as much as it is captivating.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
The tale worth telling, executed in a mild fashion
X-Men Origins: Wolverine explores what led Logan to the events of the original X-Men trilogy, with the story not always feeling tonally correct and making some wild decisions to favour the plot rather than fans of the comics.
Hugh Jackman is no surprise as a great lead, able to play as Logan without even trying at this point. Everyone else are pretty good too, mostly able to be grounded but not too serious in an overall not-so-serious movie, especially Liev Schreiber as Victor. In the larger franchise puzzle, the film aligns very well with what the previous films establish, aside from Victor seemingly not recognising who Logan is in the events of "X-Men (2000)".
This film is quick, really quick, with some points in the story feeling like they skipped being completely resolved in order to get to the next scene as quickly as possible, which works in some cases but more often feels like a cheap shortcut. Moreover, it flip-flops between fun and serious tones, but not always in a perfect fashion, with some moments better than others. The special effects range from really good to very iffy, and especially near the final fight of the film. Without giving too much away, fans of Deadpool will be very confused and some even disappointed, with the character so sidelined and nerfed he could've given James Marsden's Cyclops a run for his money. And Gambit felt like a fun inclusion yet in hindsight, wasted potential.
Overall, this film is able to offer enough fun for many people to find entertaining, yet misses many marks to be that little bit better. It could have been more, but it's fine as it is.
Moonfall (2022)
Honestly, like, what even... I mean what?
I went into Moonfall expecting another ridiculous end of the world movie. What I witnessed felt like watching two people saying increasingly absurd things, trying to outdo the other person's last comment.
With many, many, many sequences of large-scale tension, none was felt, because it's just such a dumb fun ride you know you're gonna be fine by the time it ends. The cast cannot save the stupidity (traded for actual dialogue) coming out of their mouths, with characters saying sci-fi jargon to explain the moon falling as well as how to stop it. Big special effects, huge natural disasters and by the end it's revelation after revelation of utter absurdity.
Whether any of this appeals to you will determine how you will end up enjoying the film, deciding if you'll laugh or cry at the logic that is so thinly stretched it rips like soft fabric. Highly entertaining, but goes a bit too overboard near the end.
Wish (2023)
A generic 100th anniversary adventure
Wish marks the 100th anniversary of Disney via attempts at referencing much of what came before, with all the problems found in their modern media. Strong headed characters who never learn to think, animal sidekick that serves no purpose, villain who isn't wrong until the writers rework them at the last minute and songs that don't evoke anything resembling an identifiable emotion, aside from confusion and shame.
The voice cast do what's asked of them, providing enough entertainment to please the average audience, with many laughs coming from the talking goat or the villain's over-the-top nature. The animation was, distracting, but clever, portraying the classic 2D animation in a 3D manner was a great choice for celebrating the anniversary. The overall message was good, teaching you to work hard and earn what you want rather than take shortcuts to get it, however I feel it got lost in translation in several sequences that are still baffling me.
The story feels so half-baked, with characters that feel more like cogs keeping the clock running rather than personalities driving the plot forward. The film's villain can best be described as an alcoholic put in charge of a liquor cabinet, constantly tempted by dark nature and resisting, until he eventually caves and prior to his all out villainous acts, you see he was trying. The logic behind a lot of what is said and done between some characters and scenes either feels contradictory or anticlimactic in their resolution, making an overall unrewarding experience.
Wish isn't all that great, but probably has an audience that will oversee its many negatives for its few positives.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023)
Stunning, gorgeous and absolutely beautiful
Not a 'Swifty', was barely familiar with two of her 'eras', yet was absolutely blown away by the tight choreography, entrancing light show and dazzling costumes.
Taylor Swift had proven to me why she is the renowned pop star that her fans claim she always has been, with three and a half hours of songs throughout her career, equally showing what she has accomplished through the years as well as looking towards a very bright future for herself.
On the other side of things, not being a huge fan made me feel isolated and I only truly came around once the 'Red' era started. From that point, I was convinced I had to listen to more of her music soon afterwards. Furthermore, some backup dancers came off as a bit distracting with their overacting but that's probably just me being picky.
The Eras Tour is for all fans of Taylor Swift. Excellent show and so great it was converted into a format for everyone to see.